LAKE GENEVA, Wis. – The Luther College men's golf team closed its 2022-23 fall season the way it started the season: with a top-10 team finish. The Norse earned a second place finish at the UW-Stout Invitational, hosted at the Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Mark Devlin (Cookstown, Ireland / Cookstown) paced Luther during the two-day tournament, shooting his best rounds of the fall to finish in fourth place with a two-day score of 147.
DAY ONE RECAP
The Norse were clearly one of the top teams in the tournament from start to finish, as they were one of just three teams in the competition to shoot under 300 Sunday afternoon. Luther closed the opening day of the tournament with a score of 292, as all five golfers ranked in the top-20 on the individual leaderboard. Devlin led the way for the Norse, as he shot a season-low 71 to open the tournament, closing the day in a tie for second play.
Junior Jay Fjelstul (Decorah, Iowa / Decorah) was only a shot behind Devlin, as he shot an opening round 72, sitting in seventh place as an individual at the end of the day. Brandon Dorans (Hoffman Estates, Ill. / Barrington) posted a 74 on the first day of the tournament, as he was the final of three Luther student-athletes hovering in the top-10 as individuals.
Both Hogan Reuter (Farmington, Minn. / Farmington) and Haakon Rustad (Northfield, Minn. / Northfield) posted strong opening round scores on Sunday, finishing in the top-20 as individuals. Reuter finished the day in a tie for 16th, as he shot 75, while Reuter finished in a tie for 20th after an opening round 76. Chris O'Brien (Eagan, Minn. / Eagan) was the final competitor on the course for the Norse, as he entered the clubhouse with a score of 87 after the first 18 holes of competition.
DAY TWO RECAP
Luther once again was one of the top teams on the course Monday afternoon, as the team posted a top-3 score to finish in second with a two-day score of 600. Dorans proved to be the team's most consistent golfer, as he shot 74 for the second consecutive day to finish in sixth place with a two-day score of 148. Devlin was the team's top finisher on the course, as he finished in a tie for fourth place thanks to his two-day score of 147.
Fjelstul, Rustad and Reuter all finished in the top-20, making Luther the only team in the field to have all five scoring golfers finish in the top-20 individually. After shooting 80 on the second day, Fjelstul finished in 14th as an individual with a two-day score of 152, while Rustad finished two strokes behind in 16th with a score of 154. Reuter concluded the tournament in 18th with a two-day score of 155. O'Brien closed the two-day tournament with a score of 177, rounding out the Norse line up.
TOP NORSE
- Mark Devlin (Cookstown, Ireland / Cookstown) carded his highest individual finish of the season, as he finished in a tie for fourth place thanks to a two-day score of 147.
- Brandon Dorans (Harrington Estates Ill. / Barrington) also finished in the top-10, as he shot back-to-back 74s for a two-day score of 148. It was good enough for a sixth place finish, second only to Devlin's fourth place finish.
- Jay Fjelstul (Decorah, Iowa / Decorah), Haakon Rustad (Northfield, Minn. / Northfield) and Hogan Reuter (Farmington, Minn. / Farmington) all finished in the top-20, making Luther the only team where all five scoring golf teams carded top-20 finishes in the individual standings.
UP NEXT
The Norse will return for the spring season in March 2023. More information regarding Luther's spring schedule will be announced on luthernorse.com in the upcoming months.
